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GENERAL ARTICLES

Venous Air Embolism During Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

Peter E. Frasco, MD^*, Renee E. Caswell, MD^*, and Donald Novicki, MD

Departments of *Anesthesiology anda Urology, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, Arizona

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Peter E. Frasco, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic Hospital, 5777 East Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85054. Address e-mail to frasco.peter{at}mayo.edu

Venous air embolism during transurethral surgery is a rare event. There have been case reports in the anesthesia and urology literature of fatal air embolism during transurethral prostate resection and transurethral incision of the bladder neck. We present a case of nonfatal venous air embolism during transurethral prostate resection in which incorrect assembly of the bladder irrigation-resectoscope-drain system led to a rapid entrainment of air into the open venous channels of the prostate bed.

IMPLICATIONS: The incorrect assembly of a bladder irrigation system caused air to be pumped from an open drain through the resectoscope into the bladder, which led to a near fatal cardiac arrest caused by venous air embolism. Anesthesiologists and urologists should be aware of this potential complication.